Why You Are Not Getting Sales From Facebook

We know you’ve heard something like this or might have even said it. “Investing in social media isn’t worth it.” Or, “I don’t get any return from posting on Facebook.” Or “I can do it myself.” Then there’s my favorite. “I can get someone on Fivrr to do it for $10.”

Now, I’ve heard these sentiments enough from Negative Nellies not to be offended. I can see why Facebook in particular frustrates users. Not only have people become over-saturated with it, they have become desensitized to posts – even posts by their friends. Facebook is an overflowing smorgasbord of ads, political rants, memes, kittens and pics of last night’s dinner. Where would readers find the time or enough interest to read your posts, no matter how interesting, right?

Well, we’ve come up with a few answers that should help, especially if you think you might have to invest in social media under duress.

First, when people say “return,” they usually mean “sales.” The hard truth is, especially if you are selling higher end services or if you are B2B, you don’t get many if any sales purely from posting on Facebook.You get exposure. You get a chance to network online. You get a chance to present yourself as a professional and an authority. You can even get leads if you nurture relationships correctly. But remember, when you post on social media to attract potential customers, it’s called content marketing, not content sales.

Second, there’s a difference between posting content on your business page and buying a Facebook ad. Facebook ads might have a higher conversion rate. Unfortunately, even those rates can be low. (I talked to an award winning marketing expert who said he buys Facebook ads purely for more exposure and name recognition. I’ve also talked to clients who worked with marketing coaches, bought ads and still complained about low to no conversion rates. So there you go.)

Third, you can’t sporadically post to a Facebook business page or do it for a month and expect it to gain traction. This is why we offer 6-month contracts. While I’m willing to go to a 3-month contract with a limited number of new clients with little established social media presence, I won’t go month-to-month. It’s self defeating on the part of the client and bad for our reputation.

For a lot of people, this all begs the question, “What’s wrong with my Facebook campaign?” Here are some potential answers.

You’re using Facebook for the wrong reasons; i.e. you expect high sales from content marketing, when that’s not really the function of content marketing. That said, your business MUST be on Facebook and social media to be relevant. It’s just the nature of the economic beast.

Your real customers or potential customers are not on Facebook. They are on LinkedIn or Pinterest or some other platform, depending on what you market.

You’re not posting consistently.

Your posts are boring, irrelevant, unprofessional, poorly written or a turnoff.

You’ve posted things on your personal page that turn people off on a professional level; e.g. you’re posting something political that offends some of your could-be clients.

You aren’t actively getting people to like your Facebook business page. Followers don’t just magically appear. It takes work.

You “bought” likes or have people liking your page who really couldn’t care less about you or what you do.

You aren’t following up on potential leads by doing things like chatting with your page-likers online or in person.

You simply don’t know how to convert leads into customers.

I could go on because each business is different, and everyone’s approach to social media is different. Let’s leave it at this. A Facebook presence is a necessity. So do you want to present yourself as a pro in your industry or a newbie who doesn’t even know how to use social media correctly? The answer should be obvious.

If you want help presenting yourself as a pro, contact All Things Writing, LLC. We won’t promise you the moon, but we will promise that you’ll look like an expert.

-Katherine Gotthardt, CEO, All Things Writing, LLC

Katherine Gotthardt, CEO

Katherine Gotthardt, M.Ed., writing concentration, has been writing, editing and teaching for more than twenty years. For the past ten years, she has focused on content development and content marketing for small to mid-size businesses, writing and disseminating material that increases client visibility while supporting their brand. Besides being published in dozens of journals, Katherine has authored five books: Poems from the Battlefield, Furbily-Furld Takes on the World, Approaching Felonias Park, Weaker Than Water and Bury Me Under a Lilac. Learn more about her creative life at www.KatherineGotthardt.com.